Bringing my 'indoor' cat

Hi Expat Forum, I haven't really introduced myself, I've really only been reading posts and learning ALOT from you all! A big thank you, so happy to know this forum also a shout out to Planner and Bob for their continued support here as well. Thank You ladies and gentlemen, much appreciated.

My husband and I and our 'adorable'  cat are from Canada, and will be travelling in the near future for an extended stay to investigate purchasing real estate for vacations and potential rental, moving forward possible residency and so on.
We've been travelling to Dominican for over 20 years, both resorts and independent villas and condos, it is a great place for the right people, and we've been fortunate that over the years we've meet many great people / both local and expat.

I'm a bit nervous about flying with my cat (I'm thinking cabin, since we are so attached ,
I understand I'll be sure a rabies vaccine is in order administered 31 plus days before, and I will do an international health certificate (just to be on the safe side)
not sure if that needs to be dated within a certain time frame for airlines or for the entering country?  , if someone knows I'd be appreciative to know,

my biggest concern is do I need to micro chip my cat? because that has always been a challenging topic for me, no so crazy about doing extras to an animal that shouldn't be really necessary. She is an indoor cat 4 years of age and totally happy, relaxed and healthy, anyhow I can go on forever LOL, sorry, my next question is: does she need to be microchipped and does anyone have experience with this ?

Ok well, thanks again for being here for people like us and more! An expat forum that speaks with respect and proper information is THE BEST!  P.S. My name is Joie